The Lions Inside Us
by VulpesUrsae
Summary: Adora has a knack for getting herself into trouble. So of course, she accidentally offends someone and now has to systematically go up against two of the strongest gaming clans, The Horde and The Rebellion, Gauntlet-style. But gaming is in her blood, and she's got a lion inside.
1. She Was a Lioness

**Not gonna lie, I haven't written fanfiction in a looooong time. But, here we are. Let's do our best, shall we?**

_Legends once spoke of a woman that defied all odds and expectations anyone could've dreamed. 30 years ago, a woman came onto the stage who utterly destroyed anyone who came against her. Her battle prowess was unmatched; it was said she never lost a fight. She learned and adapted at lightning speed. You were either her ally, or her enemy.__And yet, despite all this, she was kind. Her enemies would fling insults and bring mighty forces against her, and she would stand there and face it all with a smile. When the battle was over, she would help them up off the floor and offer the same friendly smile she began with.__As quickly as she came, she disappeared. No one ever knew her name. She never gave anything other than the name she came up with on the spot. She revolutionized the gaming industry and showed it wasn't just a man's world. She stood up against many, and brought them all to their knees. She called herself... She-Ra._


	2. She Works at an Arcade?

**I'll definitely keep A/Ns short going forward, if I can't avoid having them at all, but small note here: this story is completely set in a world without magic. However, it will closely follow canon. Same themes for the most part, but there's some key differences I'll make later on. Hope you enjoy.**

Adora wasn't exactly sure how she'd gotten into this situation. All she'd done is make a small suggestion, one that would dramatically help the very small, very irritable girl on her right do marginally better at the arcade game she was struggling with. Now the bag of quarters Adora was supposed to be taking back to the front desk were scattered everywhere, a Joy-con controller was resting in her hands and she was surrounded by a large group of bystanders as she faced off reluctantly against the aforementioned girl.

The 19 year old blonde very nearly let out a loud groan in frustration. Never mind running into trouble herself, trouble always seemed to find her on its own, especially when it came to working at the Fright Zone Arcade. Last week it had been a large group of elderly people coming in from whatever black hole old people emerge from looking to "relive their youth", as Weaver, the blonde's boss and the assistant manager of the Fright Zone had put it. "Oh, please," Catra, Adora's best friend and fellow overworked young adult, had snarked, cleaning off the bar where one of them had spilled a soda, "the oldest person in here is almost ninety. Their youth was back when the dinosaurs lived." She glared back at an elderly woman who had overheard her grumbling. "These _valued customers_," she continued in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "have probably never touched a game in their life."

Adora had to agree, after running around for the better part of an hour teaching each elder exactly how to play each game and explaining directions _very **slowly**_. Her experience ranged from heartwarming to downright frustrating. A fact of the universe is that you get worse with technology as you age, and this just proved it.

The girl (who hadn't even introduced herself beyond yelling that she was the head of the Rebellion, and how dare she butt into official Rebellion business) was currently working alongside a tall boy to get the Switch set up on the arcade's projector, to broadcast the match Adora had waded into unwittingly. To Adora's left was Weaver, who was _no help at at all,_ the blonde thought bitterly. The woman wore an amused smile as she leaned against a Pac-man machine and watched the proceedings.

Weaver had signed off on the event immediately, even going so far as to have Catra dig the cords they needed out of an old storage bin in no man's land: aka the attic, after the angry girl had stormed straight up to the front desk (she had lost her game spectacularly, as Adora had predicted she would) and demanded to battle Adora in a test of skill.

Adora was brought out of her bitter musings by having the little controller swiped out of her hands by the girl. Biting back a harsh word at the teen's attitude (helped by having three years of customer service under her belt at this godforsaken place), she looked over at the girl's friend.

The boy seemed so much kinder, sporting a flat top and wearing a jacket sporting the words _Etherian King _on either side of the zipper. He flashed an apologetic smile at Adora from by his irritated friend and began to walk over. A hand shot out to stop him, and the rose haired girl pulled him down to her height in order to whisper _(loudly)_ "Bow! No fraternizing with the enemy!"

Bow pouted, whining as he was scolded. "Aw, c'mon Glimmer, you know I can't resist being friendly!"

Glimmer wouldn't hear any of it. "No. Fraternizing!" She released Bow, who waited until her attention was back on the screen to flash Adora a blinding smile and a friendly wave.

Adora returned the wave and smile awkwardly, quickly wiping the expression off her face as Glimmer got Super Smash Bros. Ultimate up and tossed the Joy-con her direction. "You know how to play Smash?"

The blonde shook her head, looking down at the controller to familiarize herself with it. "No, but I've heard of it."

Glimmer grinned, holding her own controller. "This is gonna be soooo easy." She turned back to the screen and took the game to the character select, instantly moving her cursor to Jigglypuff.

Adora fumbled with the controller for a second before figuring out how to move the hand. She scrolled through the characters indecisively, recognizing only a few. _Pikachu... maybe Link...? Nah... Mega Man...? _She bit her lip, feeling anxious. There were too many to choose from. Clicking the nearest one, she sighed as Glimmer went into the game settings.

"Okay, so we play stock, no items, no Smash Ball. Sound good? Great." Glimmer started the match abruptly, placing the fighters in Final Destination.

**3! 2! 1! _Go!_**

Glimmer's Jigglypuff jumped right out of the gate with an attack. Adora moved Cloud out of the way, testing the buttons to get a feel for just what the hell she was doing. Cloud hit a weird stance and a bar appeared above his head... at least before Jigglypuff hit a spectacular combo, bringing the percentage at the bottom of the screen to 27%. Adora quickly realized that Cloud was a bit on the faster side when you knew what to do, so she tested his mobility some more while attempting to avoid Jigglypuff's combos.

By the time all was said and done and Adora had a good idea of her character, she was deep into the red and Cloud was smoking and flashing. Glimmer smirked at the blonde as her Jigglypuff kicked her off the stage and out of view, the virtual crowd as well as the crowd around them yelling in excitement.

Adora smiled back, which had Glimmer faltering a bit, clearly not expecting the confidence that covered her opponent's face. The blonde couldn't help smiling. She kinda liked the challenge of learning on the fly. _Something I could get used to,_ she thought, as Cloud was brought back to the stage, damage at zero percent. The Jigglypuff was sitting at a cool thirty-two in contrast, Glimmer having been able to dodge most of the test counterattacks Adora had tried during her last stock.

"This round will be a little different now that I know what I'm doing," she said, eyes on the screen as she moved Cloud as soon as his feet touched the ground. Jigglypuff guarded, dashing out of the way as its assailant continued his assault, Glimmer grunting softly as if she was the one fighting. Cloud thrusted his sword behind him, catching the Pokemon in its side and following it up by swinging it overhead in a powerful combo.

Bow looked on in awe. He'd been feeling sympathetic for the blonde. Glimmer wasn't a pro Smash player by any means, but she was _good. _For the girl to go up against her was practically like watching a calf go to the slaughter. But the tides of the fight were turning. The girl had suddenly been able to hold her own against Gimmer, and even had her on the backfoot for a moment when she started on her second stock. He looked over at the focused employee, her tongue poked out in concentration as she moved the swordfighter around on the map. It was crazy to even pick up a game like this and learn it within a few minutes, but to put an experienced player on the backfoot was absurd.

Bow was drawn out of his shocked staring by Cloud catching Jigglypuff in a Finishing Touch, launching the titular pokemon off screen.

"Damn..." The black boy watched as Glimmer leaned closer to the screen, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as Adora worked to continue closing the gap in skill. Both players worked their controllers furiously, trading hits and combos until they were both near one hundred damage.

Cloud charged his Limit Break in bursts while attempting to keep away from Jigglypuff, who was going for a knockout to even out their losses, if the way it kept trying to roundhouse him was any indication. Dashing backwards and flipping over the pink creature, he was quickly swept up in a combo, his damage making it easy to knock him off the stage with a well placed hit.

Dazed, tired and on his last life, the blonde swordsman jumped away from the floating platform which brought him back from the abyss, bringing his sword straight down under him in order to try and impale Jigglypuff. It dodged out of the way, going on the defensive.

Adora moved Cloud quickly, working to end this fight in the same manner. Cloud's swings were fluid and they flowed into each other, as if he was painting and Jigglypuff was the canvas. Still, Glimmer was a hard hitter. The shorter girl dodged and guarded, finding the smallest of openings to pack a punch.

Adora and Glimmer's eyes locked as tension in the room reached boiling point. The next hit would decide the match.

Turning at exactly the same moment, Jigglypuff launched itself at Cloud. The warrior guarded, swinging his sword over his shoulder and bringing it down onto empty air. The Pokemon had avoided the hit by a pixel's breadth. All it took was one frame, and Cloud was launched off screen.

**GAME!**

Adora groaned, rubbing a hand over her face in defeat as Jigglypuff and its controller celebrated and the small congregation of people watching cheered. Straightening up, she watched as Bow scooped Glimmer up in a hug, beaming in excitement and triumph.

"That was so cool, Glimmer! You were all like hiyahh and wapahh!" He set her down and chopped and kicked the air in perfect form, then rounded on the spot, pointing at the blonde. "And you! You literally just picked up the game and were able to hold your own against Glimmer!" He shot over with sparkles in his eyes, grabbing her hand in his own.

Adora blushed and rubbed a hand on the nape of her neck in embarrassment. "I still lost tho--"

"Ah bup bup bup," the enthusiastic teen interrupted. "You are awesome at games and that's final."

The blonde couldn't find it in herself to argue, especially when he made such a good point. "I guess that _was_ pretty cool." She caught the eye of Glimmer, smiling softly. "Thanks for the match. It was fun."

Glimmer looked away quickly, red spreading over her cheeks as she grabbed her elbow. "Y-yeah, you're welcome." After a second, she stuck out her hand. "I'm Glimmer. This is Bow."

"Adora." They shook hands, both pulling back and crossing their arms against their chest idly. "So, you guys sticking around or...?"

Bow tucked his hands in his jacket. "Nah, we gotta get back to Bright Moon. You're welcome to come too, if you can."

Glimmer's eyes widened, and she looked sharply at her friend. "Um, no, she isn't. Clan members only, remember?" Bow frowned, nodding... then immediately brightened back up, bouncing in place as he gasped.

_"She could join the Rebellion," _he stage-whispered, fisting a hand over his mouth.

"No, no, she can't, we're not recruiting right now--"

"Lies, we've been looking for new members for practically _forever--" _

"We haven't even seen her in action!"

"She literally _just played you in Smash, Glimmer--"_

Adora looked between them as they bickered. "Um, guys?" The duo stopped arguing for a moment. "I'm right here. What is the Rebellion anyway?"

Bow gasped again. Adora wondered internally if he just had a penchant for being melodramatic or if he really was like this 100% of the time. "You haven't heard of the Rebellion?"

She shook her head. "What, are you guys like, pro gamers or something?"

Glimmer and Bow looked at each other, then proceeded to push and pull the blonde out of the arcade towards their truck, a four door pitch black Jeep, with little more explanation than "we can show better than we can tell you".

Catra and Weaver watched from the doorway as Adora was made to sit unceremoniously in the backseat, and Glimmer and Bow jumped in the front and sped off. The assistant manager clapped a hand on her employee's shoulder, grinning. "Welp, looks like you're covering the rest of her shift." She headed back inside. "You'll get paid the difference, don't worry."

Catra bristled with irritation, shooting daggers over her shoulder as she headed back inside. _"Ugh..."_


	3. She Nearly Gets Into a Car Crash

**Oof sorry about the wait on this one, life gets busy as soon as you post a fic online. ****I have a bit of an idea as to what each character specializes in, game-wise, but if you have any ideas, feel free to review and say so, or message me.**

Adora let out a grunt as she was unceremoniously guided into the backseat of Bow's Jeep. Sitting up and rubbing the fuzz of her undercut, she slid over on the seat to sit behind the driver's seat and began to protest half heartedly.

Glimmer and Bow got in the front and started the truck, pulling away as Adora looked on incredulously, her cries falling on deaf ears as the duo focused on their mission of driving.

The blonde was left to her own devices as Bow and Glimmer had a silent conversation with their eyes, mouthing words to accentuate.

Glimmer cut to the chase. _How are we going to add her to the Rebellion if she doesn't even know **what** it is?_

Bow's eyebrows furrowed and he snorted as he rolled his eyes. _You're just being a butt. Who cares if she doesn't know who we are? _He looked over his shoulder briefly before jamming a thumb at their passenger._ She's good as hell, G._

She wasn't so sure, but instead of arguing, she sighed and sat back with her arms crossed, casting a well practiced pout at her best friend. _Whatever. She still has to run the Gauntlet. _

He grinned, a bright, sunny smile that nearly had Glimmer shielding her eyes. _I believe in her._ Her eyes widened. She turned sharply in bewilderment. _So you **want **to lose?_

_No, I wasn't saying that. But if she can beat it, I have a very good feeling things will change for us, G. _Bow opened his mouth to continue, but stopped suddenly, hitting the brakes as someone cut him off. He hit the horn, making their passenger jump a bit as he pulled over to the side of the road. "Am I the only one who actually cares about road safety!?"

The driver of the vehicle pulled up beside them, looking apologetic. Glimmer was out of the car in a flash, the coals of her ire already slightly warmed up due to her match with Adora and bickering with Bow. "You must be literally fuckin _blind_\-- Scorpia?"

Adora peeked out of the window, then grinned. "Oh shit, that's Catra's girl."

Bow turned around, taking his eyes off his small angry friend who was currently going to town verbally on Scorpia for driving recklessly. "You know her? She's part of the Horde."

"Is that like a rival gamer faction or something?" she asked, a bit exasperated. "Who _named_ these groups?"

Her companion had the good grace to laugh. "All I know is that the Horde was named by this old dude named Hordak. The Horde and Rebellion go back a few decades. We're just the newer generation."

"He named the Horde after himself?"

Bow ran a hand over the back of his neck, chuckling. "Yeah, pretty much. I don't know why they named the Rebellion the Rebellion though. The Horde is a bit more orderly than we are. They even have force captain orientation."

Adora opened her mouth to ask what the heck a force captain even was, but was stopped short by Glimmer's irritation with the tall butch reaching a fever pitch.

"Okay, whoa, Glimmer!" Bow got out, coming around and putting himself between Scorpia and his best friend. "Chill out!"

Glimmer was having none of it. "How does she even have a license?! I bet she's never used the turn signal in her _life!" _she yelled, attempting to lunge past Bow. Bow's eyes widened and he blocked the the lunge, looking straight at Adora. **"Little help, _please?" _**he mouthed frantically.

Adora got out of the car and floundered a sec before grimacing as she hooked Glimmer's arms and pulled her away a foot or two. "Okayyyyy, time to calm down," she grunted. The smaller teen wriggled out of her grasp, rounding on her with a finger in her face.

"Oh ho ho, don't tell me to calm down," Glimmer raged, venom in her eyes and voice. Adora would've laughed at the size difference between her and the smaller girl if the look in her eyes didn't spell homicide in bright, flashing neon letters. "I'm very calm!"

Adora put her hands up in front of her, taking a step back. "Whoa, calm-- uh..." She clamped her mouth shut as the angry teen's eyes narrowing in warning. The blonde was reminded of a rattlesnake's warning, a telltale rattle before a strike.

Bow came over and placed a hand on her shoulder soothingly. Some of the air went out of the girl, ans she put her hands by her sides and unclenched her fists. "Ugh, let's go," she grumbled, turning on a dime and brushing past Scorpia rudely.

Scorpia frowned, tucking her hands in her jeans. "I'm sorry about that. I was about to head back to the Woods," she explained, looking a bit better now that Glimmer wasn't yelling at her. "Entrapta wanted snacks." She held up a bag full of tiny baked goods, one of the Tupperwares full of mini powdered donuts visible through the plastic.

Adora grimaced, nose crinkling a bit. "That looks super unhealthy."

Bow chuckled as Scorpia held out the bag for them to take one. "Well... yeah. That's the point." He rustled around in the bag before grabbing a pack of mini vanilla cupcakes. "Here, this seems like it'd suit your tastes."

She shook her head. "Thanks, but I don't really eat swee--"

"Listen, we're all about consent in this house, but I am practically psychic and I can tell you have a sweet tooth," he said confidently, tearing open the package and holding a cupcake up to her mouth. "You don't have to..." He grinned as Adora looked down at the baked good, her mouth watering and her stomach growling loudly...

"Ugh, fine." She bit into it and chewed for a second before her eyes widened, a crumb slipping from the side of her mouth. "Whoa."

Scorpia grinned. "Another satisfied customer!"

Bow slapped her on the shoulder. "Scorpia's parents own the bakery up the street. She's been supplying food for our events since she beat the Gauntlet."

"Barely won some of them. I'm... not the best at some things sometimes," the white haired teen said, looking a bit downcast as she rubbed her arm, but she perked back up immediately. "But I'm glad you like the cupcakes. I'll bring you some more another time, since these are for Entrapta."

Adora nodded through a mouth of cupcake. "Sounthds like a planth."

Scorpia turned and got back in her truck, peeling off down the street and nearly causing several accidents. Bow cringed periodically until she was out of sight, shielding his eyes from the sun to watch her become a pinprick down the road. "She passed her driving test with the bare minimum." He went over to the Jeep and opened the back door for her. "I wouldn't get in a car with her for all the chocolate in Etheria."

Glimmer was in the front seat, head in her hands, just breathing, headphones as she leaned back. Bow went around and got back in, giving his best friend a long look before pulling off the side of the street. "Mmkay, next stop, Bright Moon."

...

"Oh, someone new! The universe has heard our cries," said a blonde with flowers in her hair as soon as the trio walked into the Rebellion's "base", which was really just a dolled up clubhouse. _When in Salineas, _the arcade employee figured. Adora stumbled back in surprise, falling on her ass onto the carpeting.

"Whoaaaa!! Okay, too close, give me like two feet," she yelped, scrambling up and moving back a few steps. The strange girl followed, and she blinked. "Maybe fifty might be better."

A pale hand yanked the girl back. "Perfuma, I love you, but you're terrifying." From behind the girl an... even _smaller _girl appeared. Adora blinked again. The kid, who had navy blue bob cut and wore an ice blue tiara unironically, couldn't have been more than eleven and three-quarters. And yet she had a very commanding voice. Or bossy. Both?

Bow pointed over his shoulder as he went over to the couch and plopped down, moving aside stray cases for games, some movies and various controllers. "That's two already out here. Frosta, Perfuma, meet Adora."

The tiny one, Frosta, looked the blonde newcomer up and down. "So has anyone ever made a pun with your name?"

"Um, no?"

"That's..." The kid pulled out a pair of sunglasses from her jeans. _"Adora-ble." _Andddd she put the sunglasses on, smiling brightly.

Adora facepalmed. "Please. No more." .

"More will come, the Adora. Frosta loves puns," Perfuma explained, her voice light and musical as she moved back to the couch and perched gracefully on the arm next to Bow. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and leaned back into the plush material.

"She learned it from Bow," Glimmer added, collapsing on the couch at the opposite end with her headphones hanging around her neck. She looked exhausted, the rose of her eyes dull like a flower without water.

Frosta went over to the wall and got onto a stool, then pressed what looked like an intercom, leaning into it. "Guys, Glimmer and Bow brought someone new. Come meet her!"

Adora stood awkwardly as several teens appeared from different rooms of the clubhouse, all looking curiously at her, except one dark skinned girl, who had her arms crossed. She just looked bored.

Glimmer got up from her place on the couch and went over to wrap her arm around Adora's shoulders, which was a bit difficult considering the blonde was much taller. She settled for putting a hand on her shoulder. "Everyone, this is Adora. As of now, she's gotta prove herself worthy to be a part of Etheria." She sighed. "Okay, let's introduce ourselves. Seahawk, you go first."

A flamboyant guy stepped forward and bowed theatrically, a charming smile on his face. "Well, hello there, dearest Adora! My name is Seahawk, and if you're looking for adventure..." He winked at her. "...well, I am your man."

The girl next to him slapped tbe nape of his head, looking annoyed. She spoke with a drawl, the midnight blue of her braid falling over her shoulder. "Ugh, whyyyyyyy are you likeeee thisssss..." Rolling her eyes, she gave a halfhearted wave. "It's Mermista. Nice to meet you or whatever."

Next was a white haired Black girl about Adora's height who had her arms around a Polish girl. Adora felt pure uwu vibes coming off the couple and smiled in spite of her awkwardness. "I'm Netossa and this is my girlfriend, Spinnerella. Welcome to the Whispering Woods," she greeted amicably. Spinnerella gave a shy wave, a blush on her face.

"You already met Perfuma, Frosta, Bow and I, so now that that's out of the way, we should get the tour started," Glimmer announced, moving a stray hair out of her face. "Gotta show you to your new room here in the Woods."

Adora gave a final wave to the group of teens, who were now chatting excitedly, before following Glimmer, who had somehow gone from right beside her to the opening to the hallway in less than a second. "Whoa, wait," the blonde started, jogging over to catch up as Glimmer began walking. "My room?"

"Well, yeah. Where else are you gonna practice if you pass the Gauntlet and join the Rebellion?" Glimmer rounded on her, eyes narrowed. "You _are _joining the Rebellion, right?"

Adora stopped short. "I-I don't--"

"Look, Bow believes in you. Thinks you're a prime candidate to fill the spot we have since--" She clamped her mouth shut, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Anyway, don't mess this up," she snapped, turning away with a huff.

Adora bit the inside of her lip, eyebrows knitted together as she tried to figure out why she'd earned the shorter girl's ire. She supposed she'd offended her somehow. With a shrug and a sinking feeling in her soul, they continued the tour.


End file.
